maybe next turn
by leviadrache
Summary: Aichi invites Kai over for dinner, Kai cannot say a certain thing.


It's not like Kai doesn't know where Aichi lives, he's pretty familiar with the way to get there, remembers kind of living in the same neighbourhood, remembers how he'd often watch the younger boy go to school in the morning and meeting him on his way home. He remembers trying to give the blue-haired kid small encouraging smiles, remembers how the kid never looked up and kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

One time, Kai tried to approach the boy, but the kid ended up all nervous and afraid, as if Kai was one of those bullies, so he pulled out his favourite card, _Blaster Blade_, holding it out to the kid, wondering if he would take it, wondering if he even played Vanguard, but the boy – Sendou Aichi – has been really happy and Kai has been happy, too.

Still, remembering the scared look in Aichi's eyes after he approached him at first, makes him wonder if maybe, Aichi felt something about him back them. If his Psyqualia, the power of foresight, showed him something about Kai, showed him the person he was going to be, showed him how much Kai would hurt him.

He tries to forget his doubts as he finally stands in front of Aichi's house, hesitates a little while before pressing the doorbell, _maybe being too early would seem rude_, but before he could even press the little button, the door's already opening and there's Aichi, smiling brightly at him. He tries to smile as well as they greet each other and Aichi pulls him inside, nicely telling him where to put his shoes and guiding him to the living room, where the food's standing on the kitchen table and Aichi's sister is already sitting in one of the chairs, talking to a friendly looking woman, most likely Aichi's mother, but they look up when he and Aichi enter the room.

"Ah, so you're the famous Kai-kun. I've seen you various times on TV, but you look way friendlier in reality," she smiles at him, holds out her hand and he shakes it, as she asks him all these small talk questions – how are you, don't you think the weathers really nice today, how's school – and he gives his best to answer her questions as well as possible – Fine. Yes, I do. I kind of forgot. – without seeming like someone who just recovered from a state of being possessed by creatures from an other planet, which he is, but Aichi's mother shouldn't know that.

While they eat, neither of them really talks a lot about serious things, just those daily things and Kai finds himself smiling rather often. That day, he probably smiled more often than in the whole last two years.

After they finished eating, everyone takes their plates and so on back into the kitchen and, even though Aichi's family says that it's not necessary, he helps them cleaning up, insisting that he always does that anyway.

They go to Aichi's room afterwards, fight a bit on Aichi's desk and keep talking about random things. Sometimes, when he thinks it would fit into the conversation, Kai tries to tell Aichi this certain something, but then Aichi starts talking about something really different and Kai's trembling fingers calm down again and his heart beats slows down back to its normal pace, just to speed up again, when it seems like another good chance comes, but Kai is an idiot and doesn't have the courage to speak up and it's pathetic and he really wants to say it, but then Aichi says something again and this chance is gone, too.

When he's about to leave, Aichi looks at him as he slips back into his shoes. When he stands straight again, Aichi seems to hesitate for a moment, but then takes Kai's hand just like back then and pulls him into a hug and _it's warm_.

On his way home, Kai wonders what could have happened, what could have happened, if he actually had the courage to tell Aichi, wonders what both of them could be, if he just told him, wonders what Aichi would say, promising himself not to be a coward the next time he gets the chance to tell him.

_Tomorrow, when we meet at card capital, I'll finally tell you._

– but Aichi does not show up again.


End file.
